Most vehicles derive power from an internal combustion engine transferred to the drive wheels by a power train. In hybrid approaches, the engine power may be supplemented by auxiliary sources such as electrical power. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,842 to Kuroda et al. discloses a vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. A similar approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,057 to Morisawa et al. Further, fuel cells have been disclosed for supplementing or alternating electrical power to the engine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,223,843 to O'Connell et al. and 6,276,473 to Zur Megede. Energy storing flywheels, coupled with an internal combustion engine, have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,495 to Shimizu et al.
The present invention, rather than using variable speed engine power and electric power as co-joint or separate prime movers, uses a constant speed engine only to operate an electric motor. The electric motor and an air fan powered by diverted airstreams during vehicle travel are both coupled through a drive train and transmission to the driving wheels. The resultant combination allows the engine to operate at efficient speed ranges for supplying electrical power and the power generated at the air fan to supplement power during vehicle travel, thereby providing substantially increased fuel efficiencies.